Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2023-12"
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- Os dois Adam Smith — espelhos uns dos outrosPublication . Samões, Orlando
- Portuguese Heart Failure Prevalence Observational Study (PORTHOS) rationale and design – a population-based studyPublication . Baptista, Rui; Silva Cardoso, José; Canhão, Helena; Maria Rodrigues, Ana; Kislaya, Irina; Franco, Fátima; Bernardo, Filipa; Pimenta, Joana; Mendes, Lígia; Gonçalves, Sara; Teresa Timóteo, Ana; Andrade, Aurora; Moura, Brenda; Fonseca, Cândida; Aguiar, Carlos; Brito, Dulce; Ferreira, Jorge; Filipe Azevedo, Luís; Peres, Marisa; Santos, Paulo; Moraes Sarmento, Pedro; Cernadas, Rui; Santos, Mário; Fontes-Carvalho, Ricardo; Campos Fernandes, Adalberto; Martinho, Hugo; González-Juanatey, José Ramon; Filipe Pereira, Luís; Gil, Victor; Raquel Marques, Cláudia; Almeida, Mário; Pardal, Marisa; Barbosa, Veneranda; Gavina, CristinaIntroduction and objectives: Current epidemiological data on heart failure (HF) in Portugal derives from studies conducted two decades ago. The main aim of this study is to determine HF prevalence in the Portuguese population. Using current standards, this manuscript aims to describe the methodology and research protocol applied. Methods: The Portuguese Heart Failure Prevalence Observational Study (PORTHOS) is a large, three-stage, population-based, nationwide, cross-sectional study. Community-dwelling citizens aged 50 years and older will be randomly selected via stratified multistage sampling. Eligible participants will be invited to attend a screening visit at a mobile clinic for HF symptom assessment, anthropomorphic assessment, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) testing, one-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and a sociodemographic and health-related quality of life questionnaire (EQ-5D). All subjects with NT-proBNP ≥125 pg/mL or with a prior history of HF will undergo a diagnostic confirmatory assessment at the mobile clinic composed of a 12-lead ECG, comprehensive echocardiography, HF questionnaire (KCCQ) and blood sampling. To validate the screening procedure, a control group will undergo the same diagnostic assessment. Echocardiography results will be centrally validated, and HF diagnosis will be established according to the European Society of Cardiology HF guidelines. A random subsample of patients with an equivocal HF with preserved ejection fraction diagnosis based on the application of the Heart Failure Association preserved ejection fraction diagnostic algorithm will be invited to undergo an exercise echocardiography. Conclusions: Through the application of current standards, appropriate methodologies, and a strong research protocol, the PORTHOS study will determine the prevalence of HF in mainland Portugal and enable a comprehensive characterization of HF patients, leading to a better understanding of their clinical profile and health-related quality of life.
- Mycelia inactivation processes – maintaining the flexibility and strength of mycelium-based biocompositesPublication . Oliveira, Ana T.; Ramos, Miguel A.; Castro, Paula M. L.The current trend towards a sustainable and circular economy proposes the development and use of bio-based materials from renewable resources. Mycelium-based biocomposites (MBB), which consists of defragmented lignocellulosic particles linked by dense mycelium, are an ecological and innovative solution to replace petroleum-based products. MBB have shown advantageous properties, such as acoustic insulation, fire resistance, and the absence of harmful synthetic chemical components. These properties are the basis for the production and use of MBB for a wide range of applications, including paper, textiles, foams for packaging material, vehicle parts, and electronic equipment packaging materials. Briefly, MBB production is achieved through the sterilization the biomass, inoculation and incubation with selected fungi, homogenization, and interruption of fungal growth (or inactivation). Most MBB go through a heating treatment to inactivate the mycelia. However, that treatment results in rigid biocomposites with low flexibility. This work investigated the performance of alternative inactivation methods aiming to achieve flexible but sturdy MBB. Low temperature treatments and CuSO4 were tested in biocomposites obtained from two fungi strains. The inactivation efficiency was evaluated through a cell viability assay, MTT assay. The physical properties of the resulting biocomposites were also assessed. Spraying MBB with a CuSO4 solution did not efficiently inactivate the fungi. Although the low temperatures seemed to have inactivated the fungi two days after treatment (ca. 1% cell viability), 15 days later the mycelia resumed growth again (34% cell viability). Therefore, those treatments did not efficiently inactivate the fungi but left them in a latent dormancy state. None of the tested methods compromised the biocomposites’ flexibility features. Further studies need to be conducted to identify inactivation methods that allow the production of MBB with a more diverse range of physical characteristics to expand their application potential.
- Bibliometric analysis on pseudocerealsPublication . Akın, Melekşen; Eyduran, Sadiye Peral; Papageorgiou, Maria; Bartkiene, Elena; Rocha, Joao MiguelA bibliometric analysis on scientific documents regarding pseudocereals was performed. The literature was extracted from Web of Science database with limitations on language and index, resulting in 438 documents published until 2022. The bibliographic data were analyzed using Bibliometrix package and Biblioshiny interface available on R statistical language. The first source on pseudocereals was published in 1982 according to our data collection, and there was an increased trend of publications over the time with annual production above 11 %. The core group consisted of 11 out of 175 journals publishing on the field. Italy made the largest contribution, followed by Spain, Mexico, USA, China, among others. Collaboration network analysis was run to map associations between top countries on pseudocereals research. Six distinct sub-clusters of countries tending to collaborate together were detected. All of the publications of Israel on the area were in collaboration with other countries, whereas Argentina and Turkey published only single country publications. The most commonly used author keywords displayed with the word cloud after pseudocereals were quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, and gluten-free. Other notable keywords were food composition, antioxidant activity, fermentation, bread, celiac disease, lactic acid bacteria, etc. The objective of the current study is to illustrate emerging trends in journal performance, collaboration networks, research constituents, intellectual structure, and evolutionary nuances of the field, thus also supporting policy development to promote research on pseudocereals utilizing bibliometrics approach.
- Winston Churchill e Karl Popper sobre as culturas políticas marítimas e a emergência do OcidentePublication . Espada, João Carlos
- European Headache Federation (EHF) critical re-appraisal and meta-analysis of oral drugs in migraine prevention - part 2: flunarizinePublication . Deligianni, Christina I.; Sacco, Simona; Ekizoglu, Esme; Uluduz, Derya; Gil-Gouveia, Raquel; MaassenVanDenBrink, Antoinette; Ornello, Raffaele; Sanchez-del-Rio, Margarita; Reuter, Uwe; Versijpt, Jan; Vries, Tessa de; Hussain, Muizz; Zeraatkar, Dena; Lampl, ChristianObjective: Novel disease-specific and mechanism-based treatments sharing good evidence of efficacy for migraine have been recently marketed. However, reimbursement by insurers depends on treatment failure with classic anti-migraine drugs. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to identify and rate the evidence for efficacy of flunarizine, a repurposed, first- or second-line treatment for migraine prophylaxis. Methods: A systematic search in MEDLINE, Cochrane CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov was performed for trials of pharmacological treatment in migraine prophylaxis, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA). Eligible trials for meta-analysis were randomized, placebo–controlled studies comparing flunarizine with placebo. Outcomes of interest according to the Outcome Set for preventive intervention trials in chronic and episodic migraine (COSMIG) were the proportion of patients reaching a 50% or more reduction in monthly migraine days, the change in monthly migraine days (MMDs), and Adverse Events (AEs) leading to discontinuation. Results: Five trials were eligible for narrative description and three for data synthesis and analysis. No studies reported the predefined outcomes, but one study assessed the 50% reduction in monthly migraine attacks with flunarizine as compared to placebo showing a benefit from flunarizine with a low or probably low risk of bias. We found that flunarizine may increase the proportion of patients who discontinue due to adverse events compared to placebo (risk difference: 0.02; 95% CI -0.03 to 0.06). Conclusions: Published flunarizine trials predate the recommended endpoints for evaluating migraine prophylaxis drugs, hence the lack of an adequate assessment for these endpoints. Further, modern-day, large‐scale studies would be valuable in re-evaluating the efficacy of flunarizine for the treatment of migraines, offering additional insights into its potential benefits.
- Persistent short nighttime sleep duration is associated with a greater post-COVID risk in fully mRNA-vaccinated individualsPublication . Xue, Pei; Merikanto, Ilona; Chung, Frances; Morin, Charles M.; Espie, Colin; Bjorvatn, Bjørn; Cedernaes, Jonathan; Landtblom, Anne Marie; Penzel, Thomas; Gennaro, Luigi de; Holzinger, Brigitte; Matsui, Kentaro; Hrubos-Strøm, Harald; Korman, Maria; Leger, Damien; Mota-Rolim, Sérgio; Bolstad, Courtney J.; Nadorff, Michael; Plazzi, Giuseppe; Reis, Cátia; Chan, Rachel Ngan Yin; Wing, Yun Kwok; Yordanova, Juliana; Bjelajac, Adrijana Koscec; Inoue, Yuichi; Partinen, Markku; Dauvilliers, Yves; Benedict, ChristianShort nighttime sleep duration impairs the immune response to virus vaccination, and long nighttime sleep duration is associated with poor health status. Thus, we hypothesized that short (<6 h) and long (>9 h) nighttime sleepers have a higher post-COVID risk than normal nighttime sleepers, despite two doses of mRNA vaccine (which has previously been linked to lower odds of long-lasting COVID-19 symptoms). Post-COVID was defined as experiencing at least one core COVID-19 symptom for at least three months (e.g., shortness of breath). Multivariate logistic regression adjusting for age, sex, BMI, and other factors showed in 9717 respondents (age span 18–99) that two mRNA vaccinations lowered the risk of suffering from post-COVID by about 21% (p < 0.001). When restricting the analysis to double-vaccinated respondents (n = 5918), short and long sleepers exhibited a greater post-COVID risk than normal sleepers (adjusted OR [95%-CI], 1.56 [1.29, 1.88] and 1.87 [1.32, 2.66], respectively). Among respondents with persistent sleep duration patterns during the pandemic compared to before the pandemic, short but not long sleep duration was significantly associated with the post-COVID risk (adjusted OR [95%-CI], 1.59 [1.24, 2.03] and 1.18 [0.70, 1.97], respectively). No significant association between sleep duration and post-COVID symptoms was observed in those reporting positive SARS-CoV-2 test results (n = 538). Our findings suggest that two mRNA vaccinations against SARS-CoV-2 are associated with a lower post-COVID risk. However, this protection may be less pronounced among those sleeping less than 6 h per night. Our findings warrant replication in cohorts with individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Validity and reliability of the WHOQOL-BREF in a pregnant populationPublication . Rondung, Elisabet; Oliveira, Sandra; Esteves, FranciscoBackground: Physical end emotional changes during pregnancy may not only affect pregnant womens’ quality of life, but also how instruments assessing quality of life perform in such populations. To date, there is insufficient evidence on psychometric properties for both generic and condition-specific instruments measuring quality of life during pregnancy. The aim of this study was thus to examine the structural validity, internal consistency, and construct validity of the WHOQOL-BREF in a sample of pregnant women. Methods: A convenience sample of 1015 pregnant women in Sweden completed the WHOQOL-BREF online. We examined the psychometric properties of the instrument using principal component analysis (PCA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), Cronbach’s alpha, item-domain correlations, correlations with overall QOL and general health, and multiple linear regression with items on overall QOL and general health as outcomes. Results: Principal Component Analysis in a random subsample (n = 502) supported a four-factor model, encompassing the domains physical, psychological, social and environmental quality of life, but with four of the items originally in the environmental domain relocated to the other domains. The proposed domain structure showed good fit in confirmatory factor analysis in the other random subsample (n = 513). The physical and psychological domains showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.885 and 0.826 respectively), while the social and environmental domains were weaker in this regard. All domains showed significant positive correlations with items on overall QOL and general health. The physical and psychological domains were the most evident predictors in the regression models. Conclusions: We find the Swedish version of the WHOQOL-BREF to have good psychometric properties to be used in samples of pregnant women, and propose an alternative domain structure that might be even more useful for assessing quality of life during pregnancy. The physical and psychological domains showed good internal consistency and construct validity.
- Consumer guilt proneness scale: assessing individual differences in responses to transgressive consumption situationsPublication . Martins, Carla C.; Silva, Susana C.; Radomska, Joanna; Hajdas, MonikaFeeling or anticipating guilt associated with consumption situations may lead consumers to adjust their behaviors to avoid those unpleasant feelings and better conform to their personal, moral, and social standards. The experience of guilt regarding a consumption situation is influenced by both contextual factors, including marketing communications, and personal traits, namely the individual's proneness to feel guilt related to consumption. While research has examined the influence of contextual variables on guilt, the individual predisposition to feel guilt associated with consumption has received little attention. Understanding individual consumer guilt proneness can assist managers in customizing strategies to diverse guilt responses: recognizing varying susceptibility to guilt enables personalized approaches across the consumer journey, fostering empathetic managerial actions. This understanding can significantly impact consumer satisfaction, loyalty, and the success of marketing strategies. This study conceptualizes and proposes a measure of consumer guilt proneness, the individual tendency to feel guilt regarding transgressive consumption situations. To define the conceptual domain, a literature review is complemented with a qualitative study. Five dimensions corresponding to sources of guilt (health, extravagance, social influence, misevaluation, and ethics and sustainability) create the initial pool of items. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses corroborate the five-factor measurement model. The final scale demonstrates adequate convergent, discriminant, and nomological validity. Finally, the instrument is cross-culturally validated in three countries—Portugal, Poland, and Brazil—which not only strengthens the evidence of its validity and reliability but also lends credibility to its broader application in diverse cultural environments, particularly within Western cultures.
- A 96-wells fluidic system for high-throughput screenings under laminar high wall shear stress conditionsPublication . Fonseca, Catarina Gonçalves; Silvério, Vânia; Barata, David; Giese, Wolfgang; Gerhardt, Holger; Cardoso, Susana; Franco, Cláudio AreiasThe ability of endothelial cells to respond to blood flow is fundamental for the correct formation and maintenance of a functional and hierarchically organized vascular network. Defective flow responses, in particular related to high flow conditions, have been associated with atherosclerosis, stroke, arteriovenous malformations, and neurodegenerative diseases. Yet, the molecular mechanisms involved in high flow response are still poorly understood. Here, we described the development and validation of a 96-wells fluidic system, with interchangeable cell culture and fluidics, to perform high-throughput screenings under laminar high-flow conditions. We demonstrated that endothelial cells in our newly developed 96-wells fluidic system respond to fluid flow-induced shear stress by aligning along the flow direction and increasing the levels of KLF2 and KLF4. We further demonstrate that our 96-wells fluidic system allows for efficient gene knock-down compatible with automated liquid handling for high-throughput screening platforms. Overall, we propose that this modular 96-well fluidic system is an excellent platform to perform genome-wide and/or drug screenings to identify the molecular mechanisms involved in the responses of endothelial cells to high wall shear stress. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].